“The arrival of new partners brought the total number of exhibitors to 30, which was truly a record since the salon was first launched in 1991”

new RM 50-03 Tourbillon Split Seconds Chronograph Ultralight McLaren F1 from Richard Mille. Produced in collaboration with the McLaren-Honda F1 racing team, the RM 50-03 is the world’s lightest split-seconds tourbillon chronograph. The watch makes use of a nanomaterial called Graph TPT that is further improved by injections of graphene, making it six times lighter than steel and 200 times stronger. The result? Including the strap, RM 50-03 McLaren F1 weighs less than 40 grams.

Next is the black ceramic for Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar. A challenging to master but completely scratch-resistant, black ceramic withstands high temperatures and thermal shocks, and is consequently extremely resistant to ageing. Numerous operations demanding extreme patience and skill are required to achieve a uniform, compact and ultra-hard material that can then be machined and hand-finished. This Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar features day, date, month, astronomical moon and week of the year. The leap year indication— pioneered by Audemars Piguet in 1955—is also featured on the “Grande Tapisserie” decorated dial.

Other maisons, meanwhile, were seen trying to create much more complicated watches. For instance, following up last year’s achievement of the most complicated pocket watch ever created, Vacheron Constantin released their most complicated wristwatch by far. Named the Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Celestia Astronomical Grand Complication 3600, this one-of-a-kind watch is one of the world’s most complicated wristwatches with 23 mainly astronomical complications. This impressive feat of miniaturization features a combined display of civil, solar and sidereal times, each with its own gear train. Its new fully integrated caliber is a pinnacle of technical sophistication, featuring a total of 514 components in a case that is 8.7mm thick.

Another demonstration of technical complication comes in the form of A. Lange & Söhne’s Tourbograph Perpetual Pour Le Mérite. The fifth masterpiece in A. Lange & Söhne’s “Pour le Mérite” series combines the fuséeand-chain transmission with a tourbillon, a rattrapante chronograph and a perpetual calendar. The combination of these five complications makes the Tourbograph Perpetual “Pour le Mérite”a peerless timepiece.

Furthermore, SIHH 2017 also saw some favorites making their comebacks. Like Panthère de Cartier, one of the most distinctive Cartier designs, which is as much a watch as it is also a beautiful piece of jewelry. Created in the 1980s and more contemporary than ever, it is a true style icon for women who never go unnoticed.

Then there’s the new TimeWalker collection, which recalls the golden era of vintage racing. Minerva, now the Montblanc Manufacture, was one of the select few to set the pace with groundbreaking professional chronographs. The chronograph, of course, has always been an icon of fair play and sportsmanship, fuelling both rivalry and ambition. Minerva’s inspiring timepieces witnessed some of the greatest moments in motorsport history, embodying the racing spirit in an age when legends were still being made. The TimeWalker continues this legacy.

Last but not least, IWC Schaffhausen revisits its iconic design from the 1980s and presents the 2017 Da Vinci collection, once again with its classic round case. The Da